Rains pounding New Zealand ease

Torrential rains eased on Saturday in New Zealand's northern and central regions after four days of downpours forced hundreds of people from their homes, although there were 100 new evacuations overnight, Qazet.az reports according to N.Zealand media.

The South Island city of Nelson has been the worst affected, with hundreds of homes evacuated over the week, and some rendered uninhabitable. Towns in the North Island have also been cut off, as floods submerged roads and homes.

"Things going forward look quite different from this past week," the Metservice weather forecaster said in a Twitter post.